"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock."

UPDATE EXTRA: Obama: No apology for ‘stupid’ remark, but maybe a beer

This moronic president doesn’t know when to quit!

Washington – US President Barack Obama Friday moved to quell a racial firestorm over his remarks about the arrest of a black Harvard professor, saying he had called the white police officer in question to discuss the issue. Stepping into the press room at the White House, Obama surprised reporters with his appearance, then defended his right as president to have commented on such a local matter.

But while he conceded he “could have calibrated” his incendiary words from Wednesday night “differently,” he did not offer an outright apology.

“I want to make clear that in my choice of words, I think, I unfortunately, I think, gave an impression I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department and (the officer) specifically.”

“I could have calibrated those words differently,” Obama said he told Sergeant James Crowley, the arresting officer, in a conversation earlier Friday.

On Wednesday night, Obama jumped into the brewing fray over the arrest, saying Cambridge police had “acted stupidly” in arresting Professor Henry Gates, a leading authority on African American history who is a good friend of the country’s first black president.

Obama said at the time that the arrest showed that “race remains a factor in this society” and “still haunts us.”

Obama’s remarks Friday followed shortly after a phalanx of Massachusetts police unions had demanded an apology from Obama.

Crowley is responsible for training other officers in Cambridge, Massachusetts how to avoid racial profiling, and Obama noted that the officer had “a fine track record on racial sensitivity.”

At the end of his conversation with the officer, there was discussion about the threesome – Obama, Crowley and Gates – “having a beer here in the White House,” Obama said.

Obama conceded that he helped to ratchet up nationwide furore with his remarks, but insisted that in his role as president, he had a duty to weigh in.

“Race is still a troubling aspect of this society, whether I were black or white,” Obama said. “Interactions between police officers and the African-American community can sometimes be fraught with misunderstanding.”

After talking to Crowley, he said he concluded that “two good people” had gotten involved in an incident that didn’t turn out the way either of them wanted it to.

“I continue to believe … that there was an overreaction in pulling Professor Gates out of his home to the station. I also continue to believe … that Professor Gates probably overreacted as well.”

In the arrest, police were responding to a call from a neighbour who reported that a black man was trying to break into Gates’ Cambridge home. In fact, it was Gates himself, arriving home late at night from China, where he had been filming a public television documentary.

His front door was stuck shut, and Gates enlisted help from his taxi driver to assist in prying it open. When police arrived, they demanded that Gates identify himself and an altercation ensued.

Crowley arrested Gates for disorderly conduct and took him to the police station to book him. The charges were later dropped amidst the outcry over the arrest of such a prestigious black university professor.

I think the bottom line in the incident with Mr. Gates no crime was committed. In Mr. Gates case his identity was verified, thats why he was not arrested for a break-in. He was on his own property and at that point when his identity was confirmed. The officer should have left because he was not invited by the owner therefore the officer was trespassing because there was no probable cause and no warrant. Gates was at his place of residence. Officers are not forced into the duty of public safety. They sign on for this responsibility and authority.

It is not a crime to voice your opinion, especially on your own property. If that is the case officers would be in violation of disorderly conduct whenever they yell in a suspects face who is not resisting them or when they use profanity and that does happen. I can’t say this is a case of racial profiling because the story has two sides. But the facts are; he was not committing a crime, his identity was verified and he was at his place of residence. The officer was called for a possible robbery and that was proven false. Better judgment would have been to carry on with the duty of public safety where crimes are in progress. If the officer would have just, left Gates would not have had anyone to talk to. Its not like Gates could have walked away, he was at home. I think this is a case of abuse of authority. Thats why the charges were dropped, there was no crime. No crime could be proven. Officers jobs are to arrest criminals. Even if he was being a jerk. Being a jerk is not a crime, if it was alot of cops would need to be arrested also.

Example: The incident with the football player went to see his Mother- in-Law.

As soon as he identified himself as the owner of the house, the cop should have left. Period. Full stop. No further discussion. Why would he have to stay? The “crime” he was there to investigate didn’t happen. He could have been out in his squad car calling back in, instead of hanging out in the guy’s living room.

Maybe Gates should have just said: “Officer, unless you have some other crime to investigate here, I’m invoking my Fourth Amendment privileges and asking you to leave immediately.” At that point, the cop is essentially a trespasser.

It’s funny how the people who cry the most about jackbooted thugs kicking in their doors as part of the New World Order don’t seem to have any problem with cops abusing their powers when it happens to someone else.

The charge was dismissed totally and completely because Obama and Gates cried racism. It was not racism, but truthfully disorderly conduct by Gates (who had absolutely no respect for the policeman), but because of our society today and Obama’s intervention, the charge was unfairly dropped.

Dr. Fred Travis recently published an article entitled “Brain Functioning as the Ground for Spiritual Experiences and Ethical Behavior” in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin about the potential benefits of the Transcendental Meditation® program for those in law enforcement.
In his article, Dr. Travis explained how experience affects the brain, and noted that those in law enforcement experience the worst of life and need an inner shield just as they need a bullet-proof vest.

The officer would have left if Gates would have acted in a courteous manner and rather then scream at him with inappropriate epithets, thanked him for his concern regarding his safety at his residence.

The officer sent to Gates how was the Babe Ruth of dealing with racial profiling-

Gates couldn’t get under his skin with the epithets he flung at Crowley and why he totally lost it because Crowley didn’t “bite”-

Gates paid the price with the disorderly conduct charge. A charge he is all to familiar with when interacting with police..

A trooper made it known he stopped Gates for speeding a few years ago and was baffled by the same BS accusations coming from Gates…(he made the notation on the ticket when he handed it to him)… Gates paid the ticket 10 yrs later…that should tell you how much respect he has for the Law of the Land!

Feedjit

A council worker who wrote a series of increasingly exasperated emails warning of child abuse by Asian men in Oxfordshire was silenced after an official complaint by senior officials about his attitude, it has emerged.

“There is robust legislation in place to ensure that landlords, freeholders and others who exercise a degree of control over the management or maintenance of a building take action to remove the risk of fire,” the Local Government Minister Stephen Williams claimed yesterday, as MPs debated the story of 23-year-old Sophie Rosser, who died after running into a […]